Protocol for the process evaluation for a cluster randomised controlled trial evaluating primary school-based...

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health
• School-Based Interventions
• Anxiety Disorders

Background:

• Childhood anxiety is common and can persist into adulthood without treatment.
• Effective interventions like cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) exist but have low access rates.
• School-based screening and intervention integration can improve access to care for children's anxiety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the protocol for a process evaluation of the Identifying Child Anxiety Through Schools-Identification to Intervention (iCATS i2i) trial.
• To examine the implementation and acceptability of study procedures.
• To investigate mechanisms of change and external factors influencing engagement and delivery.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods process evaluation guided by the Medical Research Council framework.
• Quantitative data: opt-out/completion rates, online platform usage analytics.
• Qualitative data: interviews with children, parents, school staff, clinicians, and researchers.

Main Results:

• This section presents the study protocol; results will be available upon study completion.
• The evaluation will identify barriers and facilitators to the iCATS i2i screening and intervention.
• Analysis will explore how implementation factors affect engagement and delivery.

Conclusions:

• The iCATS i2i trial aims to improve access to evidence-based anxiety treatment for children.
• This process evaluation is crucial for understanding the feasibility and effectiveness of school-based mental health initiatives.
• Findings will inform the wider implementation of similar programs to support childhood anxiety.